By Loren Crispell
Assistant Director of Athletics, State College Area School District
As the calendar turns to October, the final third of the high school fall sports seasons is suddenly upon us, and before too much longer, student-athletes and coaches will be preparing for post-season scouting and matchups. The post-season is fun, full of great memories, and it’s always enjoyable to see student-athletes and teams reach their goals on the biggest stages.
There will be a time for that in the near future, but for now, State College has been afforded with some great opportunities to celebrate the past, present and future of our athletic department and student body. On Friday night, Alumni Night returns to Memorial Field as football letterwinners, coaches, managers and other close friends of the program gather to enjoy one more night on the sidelines, between the stones of Memorial.
This year, we’ll get the opportunity to honor four former head coaches in Jim Williams, Ron Pavlechko, Dave Lintal, and Al Wolski, whose collective record reads like that of a Hall of Fame career over the last four decades. Individually, they have lifted the lives of thousands of young men, providing a wealth of rich memories and a platform for all of them to go on to pursue and find great success in their lives. Together, they’re responsible for the fiber of the tradition that echoes across generations within the football program, and brings so many men (and their families) back to Memorial Field each year to relive the magic. Current head coach Matt Lintal has done a tremendous job bringing Football Alumni Night to life, and nobody gets more excited for nights like these than Matt. Friday night promises to once again be a very special evening.
So that’s the “past” portion of the equation. The present is full of highly successful student-athletes on the field and in the classroom, and I’ll get to that shortly. But the “present” was never more on display then it was on Wednesday night, when nearly 100 student-athletes gathered to surprise our marching band at a practice, walking from the north gymnasium over to the adjacent parking lot to join the band. They delivered a message of appreciation and support to their peers, and at the close of their remarks, asked the band if they would play the alma mater. The band obliged, and within seconds you had a mass of student-athletes, spanning eight different sports, linking arms and enjoying a moment with their peers and classmates that brought to life much of what we hope to see from our students each and every day.
Our motto this year is #BetterTogether, and on Wednesday night it could have been #NeverProuder, because our student-athletes and band enjoyed the kind of shared support that that will make our department stronger with each passing day.
We’ve been given glimpses of the future of our department and student body across a number of different sports this year as well. Whether at the middle school or elementary levels, engagement of the individual student is soaring, thanks to healthy middle school athletic programs and a robust elementary intramural program, led by passionate and invested teachers. Last year IM sports featured 1,998 participants across the district at the elementary level, and this year’s programs are already featuring higher enrollments than last year.
Many of our varsity teams have held different versions of youth nights at their respective events, including football welcoming the SC Lions and Centre Bulldogs to their opener vs. Mifflin County, and our field hockey team honoring the area’s youth program, the Blue Lions. It’s a program that continues to grow year after year, and serves as the surest evidence that as solid as the State College field hockey program is today, it has the chance to be even better in the future. Two weeks ago, the annual “Kindergarten Night” took place at the home football game vs. Carlisle, and more than 125 kindergarten students filled the stands and the parklet with their families to offer a glimpse into what the class of 2031 will bring to the district. No matter what lens you may use — elementary, middle school or high school — it is easy to have faith that the future of the district is bright, namely because of the many ways our students can be engaged early and often.
Now, on to what our teams are doing in the fall of 2018, because there is much to celebrate and share.
The State College girls volleyball team continues what has been an unconscious start, currently enjoying a 9-0 record in match play, and having lost just one set in those matches. Ranked as high as fourth in the state in some publications, the team will host a 20-team tournament next Saturday (Oct. 6), which will feature some of the best talent around the state, including a District 6 opponent from right down the road in a talented Bald Eagle squad. They are a fun team to be around, and if you can make it to the north gym to enjoy a match, you’ll be impressed by what you see.
The girls tennis team has just a few matches left, and owns a sterling 9-1 record. The lone hiccup came vs. Mercersburg Academy, and the team will be busy over the next week, looking to make up a few Mid-Penn Conference matches that were postponed due to inclement weather. The district championships, Mid Penn and PIAA championships loom on the horizon, and will mark the final chapters on what has already been a fantastic 2018 campaign.
The Little Lion boys and girls cross country teams continue to march on, claiming dual meet wins over Mifflin County and Chambersburg on Tuesday. Before that, they each took fourth place in the prestigious and highly competitive PIAA Foundation meet in Hershey on Saturday, which marked their second race in less than 36 hours. Whether they’re training in the heat, the wind, chilly fall temperatures or heavy rain as we saw this week, these teams are disciplined, driven, and passionately led by their coaches. It has added up to another great start as the post-season approaches in October.
The boys and girls soccer teams each picked up big wins this week, with the girls claiming victories over Carlisle and Hollidaysburg on Saturday and Tuesday. Saturday’s match went back and forth, seeing the Thundering Herd jump out to a 2-0 lead before State stormed back to win 6-4. It was the start of an amazing 48 hours for senior Erica Feese, who scored four of the six goals on Saturday, and all three in a 3-2 win on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the boys battled and topped a talented and ranked Cumberland Valley team on Thursday, 2-1 at the South Track. Goals came from Ben Vollmer and Alex Mikula, and left the team with a 6-3-1 record, with seven contests left.
The boys golf team has been a tremendous story all year long, jumping out to a 23-7 record before claiming 1st place in the District 6 sectionals on Thursday, by one stroke over Altoona. The trio of Tyler Nordblom, Ryan Battista and John Olsen have been nothing short of spectacular and consistent in 2018, after all three expressed a strong desire to reclaim a district championship at media day in August. There are several more post-season steps ahead for the squad, with the District 6 championships ahead on Monday.
The field hockey team picked up a big victory over Mifflin County at Memorial Field, and they’re a team that features several multi-sport athletes. The likes of Alyssa Dunlap, Sally Stahl and Maddie Tambroni are all lacrosse standouts as well, and Kelsey Love hits the basketball court once the field hockey season ends, so it’s an athletic, fun team that moves up and down the field. Bates College commit Grace Biddle provides stability on the back end in the cage. They return home on Monday at Memorial Field to take on Line Mountain in a non-conference game.
The football team has rolled out to a 5-0 mark, led by playmakers like quarterback Tommy Friberg, wide receivers Cohen Russell and Keaton Ellis, and tight end Jeremy Bullock. They’re four seniors who are fantastic athletes, but who represent the district so well wherever they go. The schedule is pretty back-loaded for the Little Lions, as after the matchup at home vs. Central Dauphin East on Friday, State hits the road for three of their final four games, battling challenging foes in Harrisburg, Central Dauphin and Cumberland Valley, with a home tilt vs. Altoona mixed in. If you like big plays, then this team is made for you, because any one of the four seniors mentioned above can find the end zone from anywhere on the field, at any time.
Each day is a new adventure in a school district with so many teams and student-athletes but each day also serves as a reminder that we have countless young men and women making good decisions, and pursuing the best version of themselves. We hope to see you out at an event in the near future- we are always #BetterTogether.
